Now, for a measly $33 shipped, got a pair of el cheapo 21" Techcraft MDF stands, put them on my entertainment center for a total of 36" off the ground---and OH MY GOD!!! It's like I have a new pair of speakers! The sound seems a million times richer, fuller and more opened up all of the sudden...am now questioning whether I really need to buy towers after all, the speakers fill up my cavernous living room surprisingly well.

Makes me wonder how many people know about just what jaw-dropping wonders a pair of stands can do for a decent pair of small bookshelf speakers like that.

Also, since the speakers are set on "small" and all low frequencies under 80-100Hz (I haven't decided which yet, still experimenting) are sent to my sub, the cheapie stands don't risk any resonance or vibration. Can't see any advantage for blowing $100-200 on premium stands, other than looks.

Of course, the only drawback is yes I do have to agree with my wife that the stands are not the prettiest---any kind of stand really, it inevitably makes the whole setup look too busy, too many perpendicular lines. Thus my strongest remaining rationale for buying towers now seems to be more aesthetic than anything else.

Or is there still something else I'm missing without full-blown towers?

Found some JBL e90s online for a mere $290/pair shipped, though can't find too much discussion of them, people seemed evenly divided between liking them and finding them too harsh on the highs.

I think you've stumbled on a very good finding. Use of speaker stands will usually do a great job of getting the speaker up at a decent level to make it sound good. Depending on the tower speaker, you might only get marginally better sound - depending on the speaker. However, now with our reliance on subwoofers, we don't need speakers that have to cover as much of the frequency spectrum as they once did.

One of the authors in one of the A/V magazines has pointed out on more than one occasion that bookshelf speakers are some of the most under-rated values when it comes to stereo gear. The greatness of their performance often gets overlooked.

Reviewer

I just ordered a pair of stands that will raise my surround speakers up to 45" from the floor. They're the tallest ones I've found yet, that can support a bookshelf speaker. I'd mount the speakers on the wall, but my room doesn't really make it simple.

My favorite "tweak" is actually to put vinyl bumpers between the speaker and the platform, whether a shelf or stand.

Is the conventional wisdom still that the higher end stands that fill w/lead or sand will still provide an improved performance over the cheaper MDF stands? I'm looking to do an upgrade in the late winter / early spring and would consider upgrading the stands if it would help out.

It would seem to me that you'd only need to have sand if you were using the stands for very large/bulky/heavy speakers which were putting out ALL the frequencies, not going through a bass-management system with a subwoofer.

Reviewer

I don't know about performance, but I intend to add sand to mine just for stability. I'm a little scared with having my speakers almost 4' off the floor on a 6 X 6 inch platform. I don't have rambunctious pets or children, but I walk around in the dark sometimes

Reviewer

The stands I purchased were the Omnimount 400-AH. The 300-AH, which extends to 40 inches, is on sale at J and R for $40. Ground shipping is around $23. I was tempted by the $20 difference, but I knew I'd probably want the extra five inches.

The design of the 300s are also different - the column is at an angle, forming a "Z" shape with the base and platform when viewed from the side. The photo on the site is actually for the 400s.

Reviewer

Actually I've had them that high before, but my solution was a little funky looking (stands on cubes). As long as they can take a nudge I'll be happy. Good thing I don't live in an earthquake prone area (though this may be changing from what I hear).

If that would be true speaker cabinet makers[regardless of size] wouldn't go out of their way to brace the cabinets internaly,to combat resonances which could potentinally degrade the performance of the given speaker.Speaker stands are no exception,and midrange resonanse is far more audiable then a low frequency ones,for the simple fact that the human ear is more sensetive at those frequencies[400-4k].This doesn't mean you can't enjoy your current stands,it's just something to keep in mind,for future upgrades.

The only way to compare it is to another stand that is dampened.Your current set up sounds "miles ahead" compared to the previous location,based on your description,so you may only notice any benefits of a resonance free stand if you actually get one.

They are great speakers - but the only issue is they seem VERY fragile. The tweeter is tiny (about a 1/2" poly dome) and the woofer isn't as 'buff' as I would like it.

I have no doubt JBL's next 'Northridge' line could be as good as the HLS's and for more cash, you could step to the 'Studio' line and get even better. JBL has the talent, R&D, etc. to do great things for great prices - they just choose not to